Star Trek: Discovery
by Llwynog the Bard
Summary: Stardate 2260.55. Picks up immediately after the events of Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013). If you haven't seen the 2013 film, DO NOT read this, unless you don't mind spoilers. The Enterprise is accompanied by another ship on its 5-year mission. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, just OC's. Instead of having the forward be its own chapter, I've included it here because it is so short. Live long and prosper._

* * *

**Star Trek: Discovery**

**Forward**

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Victoria. Her five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before.

**Ch. 1**

"Captain on the bridge!" I took my seat in the captain's chair. As I did, Lieutenant Tychra addressed me.

"Incoming transmission, Captain."

"On-screen, Lieutenant," I said. A few seconds later I was looking at a face known, positively and negatively, throughout all of Starfleet.

"This is Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the U.S.S. _Enterprise_," he said. "I was instructed to contact this ship. This is the H.M.S. _Victoria_, correct?"

"It is, Captain."

"And to whom am I speaking?"

"Captain William Edward Blackburn," I said. "It's good to finally meet you, Captain Kirk."

"Admiral Perry* said that the _Victoria_ would be – " he stopped midsentence. "Is that a Romulan on your bridge?"

"Lieutenant Tychra is actually a quarter Vulcan, Captain," I said, "but for all intents and purposes, yes. She was the finest xenolinguist and the most capable communications specialist out of the London academy. You were saying, Captain?"

"Right," said Kirk, obviously still thrown by the sight of a Romulan in a Starfleet uniform. "Admiral Perry told us the _Victoria_ would be our sister-ship on this five-year mission. I was wondering, before we take off, if we could have Mr. Scott take a look at your warp core."

"All due respect," I said, rather annoyed at the insinuation of our having inferior machinery, "but I think you'll find that our Mr. Schlesser is an expert in warp factor technology. Still, if you insist, Captain, then perhaps you wouldn't mind if Dr. Ramayan inspects your medical bay."

"Of course, Captain," he said with that Captain Kirk smirk of his. He then signed off from transmission.

"Medical," I said into the ship's communicator. "Where is Dr. Ramayan?"

"I'm here, Captain," came Ramayan's voice.

"Right," I said. "Sanjay, prepare to beam aboard the _Enterprise_."

"Yes, Captain." Several minutes later, Dr. Ramayan was beaming off the _Victoria_ as Montgomery Scott appeared in the energizer room.

"Welcome aboard the _Victoria_, Mr. Scott," I said into the communicator.

"I'd ask permission tae come aboard, Cap'n," he said, "but it would seem a wee bit silly seein' as I'm already here. Now, could someone direct me tae your warp core?" There was a pause. "Wait, nivir mind, Cap'n. I found it."

Jesus, could he be more Scottish? I hope I didn't say that out loud…

A half hour later, Scott asked permission to come aboard the bridge, which I granted.

"Everything seems tae be in order, Cap'n," he said. "In fact, I did some tinkerin' and now you should be able to reach at least two warp factors higher than you could before. I've also twinned your core with that of the _Enterprise_. Now, if for some reason one warp core malfunctions, it can draw power from the other. Warp factor will drop by half, but both ships will stay at warp speed."

"Brilliant work, Mr. Scott," I said. "Be sure Mr. Schlesser understands what you've done."

"Aye, Cap'n," he said. Then he turned to go back to engineering. Just then, Dr. Ramayan came aboard the bridge.

"Captain Blackburn," he said. "The _Enterprise's_ medical unit appears to have all the same equipment as ours, and is in top shape. Also, while I was there, I copied Dr. McCoy's formula for replicating Khan's blood. With his permission, of course."

"Good," I said. "Tychra, connect us to the _Enterprise_. On-screen." Kirk's face dominated the screen once more.

"You rang, Captain?" Good God, he was a prat.

"Yes, Captain Kirk. I was just letting you know that we're ready when you are."

"Sounds good," he said. Communications ended.

"Mr. Mitropoulos," I said to the Greek man in front of me. "Be ready to warp. When the _Enterprise_ takes off, we'll follow."

"Aye, Captain." We waited, and after a moment, we saw the _Enterprise_ speed away, faster than light.

"Take us away!" I commanded, and so we, too, shot off into the void.

* * *

*_This is a reference to the character Admiral Richard Barnett from J.J. Abrams' 2009 film, who was played by Tyler Perry._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, only OC's. Live long and prosper._

* * *

**Star Trek: Discovery**

**Ch. 2**

"Captain's log, stardate 2260.55," I said into the recording device built in to the captain's chair. "The H.M.S. _Victoria_ has just departed on her five-year mission paired with the U.S.S. _Enterprise_." I turned off the recorder and then turned to my first officer. "Ms. Powell," I said. "I'm beaming aboard the _Enterprise_ to meet with Captain Kirk. You have the conn. Let them know I'm on my way."

"Aye, Captain." I headed towards the energizer room, secure in the knowledge that my ship was in capable hands, even if the acting captain was Welsh.

"_Guten Tag, Herr Schlesser,_" I said upon entering the energizer room. I always made a point to try to speak German when I was talking to him. "_Ich gehe aus der _Enterprise_._..Did I say that right?"

"Very goot, Captain," he said. I never knew if he was being truthful when he said this or not, but I appreciated his humoring me all the same. "Ready to energize in _drei...zwei...eins..._" What followed was the peculiar but familiar sensation of beaming, and in a few seconds I found myself in a room identical to where I had just been, but with different people in red shirts.

"Welcome aboard, Captain," said Scott.

"Thank you, Mr. Scott, and might I just say, brilliant work with that warp-speed transport equation." Whether he thanked me for this compliment or not, I don't know, because I immediately headed for the bridge.

"Captain Blackburn," said Kirk when I reached the bridge. We shook hands. "What brings you to the American side?"

"I wanted to discuss our mission," I said, "but I felt like it should be in person." He look at me funny. "Call me old-fashioned, but at any rate, here I am. So where are we headed first?"

"Captain," interrupted a voice from Kirk's communicator. "You're overdue for your medical exam."

"Not now, Bones," said Kirk.

"Dammit, Jim!" demanded McCoy. "Get down to sick bay before I come up there and drag your ass down here!"

"Shit..." sighed Kirk. "Well, I guess I'd better head down there before Bones pees himself. Mr. Spock, would you care to fill Captain Blackburn in on what we've discussed so far?"

"Certainly," said the Vulcan, who up until now had been peering into a black oval computer screen. He came over to where I stood as Kirk headed for medical.

"Captain Blackburn," said Spock. "I am Commander Spock. I don't believe we had been properly introduced before. Now, regarding the reason you are here..." He signaled for me to follow him to a holographic star map. "This is our current location," he said, showing me on the map. "Reports have come from New Vulcan that a previously unknown star system lies here. That is where we are bound. We will bypass New Vulcan and go from there."

"Would it not be quicker to go straight?" I asked.

"It would," admitted Spock, "and we had considered it, but after careful deliberation it was determined that that trajectory lies too near to Qo'noS."

"Ah, so it does," I said. I hadn't noticed Kronos (as we call it), the Klingon homeworld, but sure enough, there it was. "Well, after that incident with Khan and Admiral Marcus, I can understand your reasoning."

"It is good to meet a captain who understands and values logic," said Spock. "Captain Kirk, as you know -"

"Commander," interrupted Uhura. "Something's wrong. I don't see the _Victoria_."

"Commander Powell," I said into my communicator. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Captain," was her answer. "Is everything alright?"

"No," I said. "For some reason you aren't showing up on the _Enterprise's_ computer. Have Tychra see if there's something wrong on her end."

"Aye, Captain."

"This is disconcerting," said Spock, "but as I was saying -"

I didn't find out what came next because suddenly there was a deafening crash as the ship went careening off course.

"Commander," said Sulu. "We've been knocked out of warp. Not sure what happened."

"Mr. Scott," said Spock into his communicator. "I need you to check the systems and see if you can get us back to warp speed." He turned to one of the helmsmen. "Mr. Chekov, go down to engineering and help Scotty."

"Aye, Commander," was both of their answers.

"Captain," Spock began, but he stopped when a swarthy-skinned face with a ridged forehead appeared on-screen.

"Lieutenant Uhura -" said Spock.

"Already done," she interrupted.

"Don't bother calling for your captain," said the Klingon. The words didn't match his mouth; Uhura must have calibrated the system to automatically translate to English. "He is with us."

"To whom am I speaking?" demanded Spock.

"I am Kee'Bhor," said the Klingon. "The emperor will be pleased when we take your captain to him. We know that this ship was near the Ketha province when a patrol was slaughtered. We have concluded that you are responsible."

"And you think that killing our captain will be restitution?"

"Killing him will be the beginning," said Kee'Bhor, a wicked smirk crossing his lips. "You will be killed as well, of course, but the captain of the _Enterprise_ having his heart torn from his chest will be broadcast throughout the entire Federation, to serve as an example and a warning." Then the Klingon signed off.

"Damn Klingons," I spat. "Admiral Marcus may have been mad, but I think he was right; war with the Klingons is inevitable."

"Captain Blackburn," said Spock, "I believe you are correct."

"Now what do we do?" asked Sulu. "We're knocked out of warp and they've got Jim." Then he looked at Spock and said something that hadn't occured to me. "What are your orders, Captain?"


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, just OC's. Live long and prosper._

* * *

**Star Trek: Discovery**

** Ch. 3**

"Lieutenant Uhura, do everything in your power to reestablish communications with the _Victoria_," said Spock, while simultaneously I said, "Scotty, figure out what's wrong with the warp core and fix it!"

There was a stunned silence on the bridge.

"With all due respect," said Spock, "what are you doing?"

"Mr. Sulu asked for orders," I answered. "I'm giving orders."

"That is what I do not understand," said Spock. "Starfleet regulation states that in the abscence of a captain, the first officer advances to acting captain. Regulation would therefore dictate that the position of acting captain go to me."

"Well, Mr. Spock," I said, "here's the thing: there is no abscence of a captain. I am a captain."

There was a pause. "It would appear," Spock said finally, "that we have reached an impasse."

"So what do we do?" asked Sulu.

"Seeing as how both arguments are sound," said Spock, "the logical course of action is to conclude that both solutions, either stated or implied, are correct. For the moment it would appear that the _Enterprise_ has two captains."

"Very well, then," I said. Being co-captain was still being captain. "Lieutenant, you heard the captain. Try to find my ship. Captain Spock, I need to have a word with Mr. Scott. Mr. Checkov, come with me, please."

"Aye, keptain." Checkov rose from his seat at the helm to follow me down to engineering. As we marched through the ship's halls, I could hear Spock on the intercom say:

"This is Acting Captain Spock. Due to a series of peculiar circumstances, Captain Blackburn of the H.M.S. _Victoria_ will be a temporary co-captain of the _Enterprise_..."

Finally Checkov and I reached engineering, where I rounded on Scotty.

"Scotty, what the _hell_ -"

"I dinnae ken, Cap'n," he started. "We should still be at warp factor five along with the _Victoria._ The Klingons must have used some kind of technology I'm no familar with."

"Damn..." I sighed. "Well, the best we can hope for is that Uhura can reestablish contact, somehow. Other than that, I don't see what else we can do. Can we get some people on a spacewalk to see if anything on the ship's exterior has been damaged?"

"The scanner's showing no damage, Cap'n," said Scotty. "Then again, we weren't supposed to lose warp factor, so I suppose it cannae hurt. I'll get some people on it right away."

"Good," I said. "I'm heading back to the bridge. Mr. Checkov, you're trained in both departments. Either stay in engineering or come back to the helm; it's up to you."

"Ehm...perheps they could use my help down here, Keptain," he said, unsure of what to do, it seemed. "I'll go put on a red shirt."

* * *

"Captain Blackburn," said Spock as I reentered the bridge. "Lieutenant Uhura found a ship not to far from our current location."

"Is it the _Victoria_?" I asked expectantly.

"We aren't sure," he admitted. "She was unable to get a visual on it, but it did show up on our radar. We still have been unable to establish communication with it. This troubles me; normally we would have no trouble contacting a ship at this distance."

"If it makes you feel any better," I said, "Scotty's got some men prepping for a spacewalk to see if the Klingons damaged anything on the outside of the ship. They're supposed to be near the warp core's general area, but I'll have him send them up near the front as well."

"Very good, Captain," he said.

"Captain," said Uhura suddenly, although to which of us, I wasn't sure. "There's a smaller object heading towards us. It looks like a transport vessel."

"Is it a Starfleet vessel?" I asked.

"It's too far to tell, Captain," she said. "It could be, but we're still out of range."

I opened my communicator. "Scotty," I said. "Is the energizer room still functional?"

"I think so, Cap'n," was his answer. "Nothing appears to be wrong with it."

"Good," I said, and closed my communicator. "Captain Spock," I said. "Once that vessel gets close enough, you'll have full command of the _Enterprise_."

"Are you suggesting what I think you are, Captain?"

"If you think I'm suggesting I beam onto that ship, then yes."

"Captain Blackburn," said Sulu, "that's crazy. We don't know who's piloting that craft. You could be killed."

"I appreciate your concern, Mr. Sulu," I said. "It's alright, though. The _Enterprise_ and the _Victoria_ will both still have capable captains, and I'm just a man." Without another word, I headed off for the engergizer room.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Cap'n?" asked Scotty when I told him of my plan.

"Absolutely," I said.

"Zere must be anozer option," said Checkov. "What you're suggesting is inadwisable, keptain."

"Mr. Checkov, I appreciate your concern, but my mind is made up."

"I have tae agree with Pavel," said Scotty, "but if your mind is made up, as ye say, prepare tae energize in three...two...one..."

The cold prickle came over me, and I left the _Enterprise _behind.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, just OC's. Live long and prosper._

* * *

**Star Trek: Discovery**

**Ch. 4**

The first thing I noticed, once on board the alien vessel, was how cold and dark it was inside. Either this ship belonged to someone who was used to this temperature, or something had gone terribly wrong. While I didn't expect any confrontation (it wasn't a Klingon ship), I set my phaser to stun, just to be certain.

As I navigated the corridors of the vessel, suddenly I was seized by an unknown assailant.

"Unauthorized entry!" shouted the person who had caught me. "Identify yourself!"

"My name is Captain Edward Blackburn of the starship H.M.S. _Victoria_, and temporarily of the U.S.S. _Enterprise. _I mean you no harm!"

The hands let go of me. "Forgive me, Captain. I did not realize you were Federation."

"It's alright, I understand," I said as I straightened my uniform shirt. "Now, would you mind telling me where I am, and who you are?"

"This is _Hermes_," said the individual. "I think this used to be a Starfleet scoutship, but now it's a personal craft. I don't know the details behind how that came to be. I just work here. My name is Nan."

"Well, Nan, forgive me if I seem rude in asking this, but why is it so dark and cold in here?"

"Well, the temperature should be obvious, but then if it's too dark I suppose maybe you couldn't see..." He paused for a moment. "We are Andorians; the cold is invigorating, is it not?"

"To humans, not so much," I said. "At least not to me."

"Forgive us," said Nan. "As for the lighting, that is a bit more embarrassing. You see, we had an electrical malfunction - yes, electricity. Crude, I know, but this is an old craft. Anyhow, we lost power to the rear of the ship and haven't had a chance to repair it."

"I see..." I suddenly felt more dubious about these Andorians if they were still using electricity to power a craft like this. Still, it's not like I had any other options. I quickly forced myself to regain composure. "Nan, have you or any other of your crew seen a Starfleet constellation-class starship pass through this area recently?"

"Actually, yes," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"That was likely my ship," I said. "I was separated from my crew some time ago. I need to catch up with that ship. Nan, do you think your captain would be willing to take me to it, if he can?"

"I am sure _she_ would have no objection, captain."

"Excellent." I took out my communicator. Thankfully I was still in range for this little device to work. "Blackburn to _Enterprise_. Spock, can you hear me?"

"Affirmative, Captain."

"Captain Spock, I need you to find the nearest planetoid you can and orbit it; land if it's big enough. Once you find something suitable, let me know where you are."

"As you wish, Captain." Then he signed off. I turned to face Nan.

"Alright, Nan. Let's see if we can catch my ship."

* * *

"You must be the captain," I said as Nan led me onto the bridge. "I'm Captain Blackburn of the _HMS Victoria_, temporarily of the _USS Enterprise_."

"What brings you onto my ship, captain?" she asked.

"Providence, I hope," I said. "Nan told me you might help me find my ship. I was on board the _Enterprise_ when we became separated."

"We did see a Federation starship pass through here," said the Andorian captain. "Unfortunately, we couldn't follow. As I'm sure you've noticed, this is a very old vessel. We had an electrical malfunction, and now we're stuck in orbit around this planetoid."

"I didn't realize you were in orbit," I admitted. "On the _Enterprise's_ scanners, it appeared that you were on a straight course in our direction."

"It is a small body," said the captain, "but very dense; its gravitational field is large and strong enough that we have been able to maintain orbit at this distance for some time."

"But you are in a relatively constant area..." I pondered it for a moment. "Excuse me for a moment." I opened my communicator. "Blackburn to _Enterprise_."

"Acknowledged," came Spock's voice.

"Spock," I said, "we're in luck. I'm aboard an old and refurbished Federation scoutship_, _the crew of which has seen the _Victoria_ pass through this area."

"That is good news, captain," said Spock. "Can you convince them to come aboard the _Enterprise_? We have found a body to orbit, M-171."

"That's the problem, Spock. This ship is so old it still runs on electricity, the systems of which have been damaged. However, we are also in orbit." I asked the captain our coordinates, which she provided. "The captain of this vessel says that this planetoid is designated M-179b. If you could come to us, I think Scott could fix the problem."

"And then you presume that this crew will aid you in catching up with your ship?"

"That's correct, Mr. Spock."

"Very well, captain," he said. "We will be at your location shortly."

* * *

"Oh dear," said Montgomery Scott, once he had beamed aboard _Hermes_. "This is an old ship. Alright then, where is your generator located?"

"This way," said another of the Andorians, who led Scotty away to do his work.

"Now, then, Captain..." I let the sentence hang, hoping that the captain would take the hint and finish it for me.

"Uniss," she provided.

"Right, now then, Captain Uniss," I said in that posh British way that I was depending upon to impress this Andorian. "I have provided you with a means of regaining power to your ship. It would appear as though a quid pro quo is in order."

"And what you propose?"

"I would've thought that was obvious," I said. "I would ask that you would aid me in catching up with my ship."

"That does seem reasonable," said Uniss. "I believe that can be arranged."

"Captain," I said, talking now more just to pass the time while Scotty worked more than anything, "if I may ask, what are you doing out this way?"

"We were following a Klingon ship, if truth be told," she said. "In truth, I am this ship's First Officer. Our captain was captured by a rogue Klingon."

"That Klingon didn't happen to be named Kee'Bhor, by any chance, did he?"

Uniss's white eyebrows raised. "In fact he did," she said. "How did you know?"

"He has also abducted the captain of the _Enterprise_," I said. "His goal, we presume, is to impress the Klingon government by killing Captain Kirk. What he expects to gain from this is still unclear to us." My communicator then made its familiar whistling sound.

"Scott to Cap'n."

"Blackburn here," I answered.

"Cap'n," he said, "I've fixed the problem, and actually made it better than new."

"Good work, Mr. Scott," I said. "Blackburn out." I shut my communicator. "Captain Uniss, let's go get my ship."


End file.
